Over seven million users use cellphones in Cuba and of them, six million are connected to the Internet through their carrier, confirmed today Mayra Arevich, minister of Communication.

During the opening session of the 19th International Convention and Fair Informatica 2024, being held in Havana, Arevich Marín noted that Cubans use an average of 7,7 gigabytes a month, as a result of the installation of a second submarine cable, Arimao.

The minister pointed out that the country is making progress in the deployment of the digital terrestrial television, which reaches 77% of the standard signal and 50% of the High Definition signal, a services is about to see great improvement thanks to the friendly support of China.

She also highlighted the existence of e-government portals, the computerization of procedures such as the tax payment of documents through digital stamps and the collection of basic services such as water, power, gas, and telephone through the digital payment platforms Transfermovil and EnZona.

The minister also stated that 31 state-owned entities, 290 MSMEs, and the Science and Technological Parks foster the development of the Cuban software industry, and consequently, the direct link between universities and the productive sector is boosted.

Arevich Marín made a call on cybersecurity, as she highlighted the importance of the safe and secure use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), data privacy, and citizens’ personal information before the permanent information lock suffered by the country.

The digital transformation must be, according to the minister's view, an evolutionary process as a strength to the development strategy outlined by country’s top leadership, which gives technologies the highest priority.

She said that Cuba is working on the Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which will include the objectives to promote the development of this tool and its safe and responsible use in the national territory.

She stated that our digital transformation is aligned with the principles of social justice defended by the Revolution, to ensure an inclusive, supportive society made up of citizens skilled in digital issues and stripped of any types of access gaps.

It is the minister’s belief that alliances with the country's universities and international cooperation will be paramount in this process, in order to take advantage of the benefits of technologies and make them available to individuals.

On Informatica 2024, she detailed that its exhibition Fair will coexist with the 3^rd Patria International Colloquium as a way to exchange ideas regarding digital communication, politics, and the sovereign development of ICT.

The 19^th Convention was inaugurated last Monday with the attendance of 1,200 delegates from Mexico, Colombia, Russia and Cuba.

The ceremony was attended by Yudi Rodríguez Hernández, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and head of the Department of Attention to Services, and Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff